Newsletter Archive

June Newsletter 2007

Pastor Max Walker Says…

As the colder weather rolls in most of us working with the needy in the community expect a further influx of people in need. This poses a real problem for many agencies who will endeavor to stretch their resources even further. The period for eligibility for assistance is getting longer with desperate people waiting three months before they can ask again.For these folk Cornerstone , Joey ’s Van, St. James providing meals becomes a real lifeline for their survival. Through necessity the people we see have learned to live frugally and to survive the harsh reality of lack of adequate housing, seeking food when and where they can find it. It is a day to day existence buoyed by the hope that tomorrow might be a little better than today or yesterday.

The Bible tells us that Jesus looked on people with compassion. Then He did something to alleviate their distress. So often today we look at the problem and turn away. It is too hard and we are safe in our comfort zone. The church, the only voice God has in our society, decides to run another program, attend another conference or save to build for the future. So the voice for justice and a fair go for all are muted or silenced altogether. No wonder caring and compassionate believers are disillusioned and frustrated and seek secular organizations as a means to express their compassion for the poor.

The scary thing today is that many in the barbeque or mortgage belt, the working families, who are strong supporters of the new, growing and dynamic churches in our community in this post denominational age are facing an increasing fear of financial disaster as they battle to survive food, petrol and interest rate rises. Living on a knife edge where the slightest economic variable can tip a family over the edge and send them scurrying for welfare assistance. Is it little wonder that welfare agencies are apprehensive concerning their ability to cope if the current trickle becomes a flood?

Pastor Max Walker CEO

Working With Communities

Crystal Brook
Our last volunteers outing was a bus trip to Crystal Brook at the Cardinia Dam. 52 volunteers attended. Unfortunately it was the only Thursday it rained for the whole year. However, all who attended had a great time and the inclement weather brought out the kangaroos.

AGM
It was pleasing to see a good crowd turn up for the meeting. As usual Suzanne (Avocare) did a great job with the catering. Copies of the AGM report have been distributed to key personnel and agencies. Extra copies are available for download on our website.

Commissioning
At a recent Sunday afternoon program, new Board Members were commissioned for the next 12 months and the volunteers prayed for and acknowledged with the presentation of Volunteer Badges.

Hope Community Church
Pastor Max spoke to the Hope Community Church men ’s group tracing significant times in his Christian walk leading up to his long term involvement with Cornerstone.

CHIPS (Christians Helping in Primary Schools) Camp
Cornerstone has been able to again sponsor 4 young people to attend the Life gets Better Camp at the end of May.

Volunteers

Volunteers

Cooking on a fine summer day (If we lived in Scotland)

We do love the Australian way! (Especially the woman)

What is a volunteer?

By Bishop Rolf Wangberg
“I suspect that volunteerism is more about attitude than about pay. It is more about feeding the soul than feeding the body.

Volunteers find satisfaction and meaning in their labor. It energizes them spiritually and emotionally. What a blessing it is when we have meaningful labor that not only pays us a living wage, but feeds our soul.

May all of us be so captured by the love of God that all of our labor is voluntary service to God and our neighbor. ”

A Few More Announcements

Thanksgiving Day
Twenty people from Cornerstone attended the annual Thanksgiving Day Breakfast where the Dandenong Ministers ’ Fellowship publicly thanked civic leaders,, welfare folk and community workers for the great job they do for the local community. The Mayor of Greater Dandenong, the CEO and several Councilors attended this function.

Local Support
A big thank you to LLN Meats (Hallam) Hallam Highway Bakery and Fresh Fruits Parkhill Plaza who assist us each week by providing quality food for our Cornerstone meals. Cornerstone Community Kitchen (Avocare) The participants of the Work for the Dole project (Cornerstone Community Kitchen) ran the Biggest Morn-ing Tea recently and raised $110 for Cancer Research. Create and Maintain at Cornerstone (Avocare) The group has done an excellent job painting the toilets and doing minor maintenance work to the building.

Cornerstone Contact Centre

Cornerstone Contact Centre is a faith mission run in the heart of downtown Dandenong. It combines welfare assistance with a Drop In facility to meet the needs of the many disadvantaged people in the area.

Cornerstone is Trans denominational being administered by Christians from a variety of church backgrounds. Cornerstone meets in the old Church of Christ building on the corner of Mason and Walker Sts Dandenong.

It is next to the tax office and surrounded by a variety of government and welfare agencies. The building is owned by the Rado family who allow Cornerstone to use the property free of charge. Cornerstone is recognised as a safe haven for people who live on the fringes of society. It provides a variety of programs that meet the needs of this very multicultural community. Cornerstone provides meals and crisis assistance in the municipalities of Casey and Greater Dandenong for people in the district who have multiple needs.

Message from Pastor Don Cameron… Pastoral Care Worker.

Pastor Don ’s Busy Schedule
April and May have been fantastic months at Cornerstone. Several Cornerstone people are playing with the MIDDWAY Cobras in the RecLink competition every second Wednesday afternoon. One new player was asked if he enjoyed playing in the team and he said ‘I love it!’ We are still looking for more people who want to play or help out the team from the sidelines. Please contact me if you are interested.

In the past month I’ve had the joy of seeing people talk to family members they had lost contact with. I’ve received positive feedback from patients in the psychiatric hospital who were encouraged by something I said during a Church service at the hospital I lead on Tuesdays. I’ve helped some people desperate for assistance in moving house and driven single parents and other people to places they needed to be after hours when public transport was not available. I’m teaching a 12 year old boy to play guitar and I’m yet to pay up a promised pizza to two primary school aged brothers who read through the book of James in the bible … and liked it so much they continued reading other parts of the bible. A primary school principal described the work of Cornerstone as ‘the good end of religion’ or something similar during a phone call with me last week.

After much organizing the Values For Life team have run three ‘Drugs And Why People Use Them’ seminars for over two hundred young people in Dandenong which Cornerstone sponsored through a City of Greater Dandenong grant. Hopefully City Councilors will act on this data by sponsoring more Values For Life programs in our city. Some have expressed an interest in this area and I will report back any outcomes. We work with a lot of people who have made terrible decisions in their lives or are the victims of terrible decisions made by other people. We are moved with compassion and the command of Jesus to assist those in difficult situations, but would much prefer to prevent these situations happening in the first place. This is why ‘Values’ based education like the ‘Values For Life’ program are so important in getting young people to set goals that steer them clear of bad decisions that could damage their lives and the lives of those around them. For more details about this check out their website at concernaustralia.org.au and look under ‘V4L school seminars’ or see me.

Family news for me is that little Jemimah is now two years and one month old and my wife Jo is looking forward to our second baby being born even more than I am. The official due date is the 2nd of July but Jo is hoping for an earlier arrival!

MARANATHA!

Pastor Don Cameron

Email: DonInDandenong@netscape.net Mobile: 0415 888 528

TUESDAY
Avocare community cooking program.
Avocare DIY & Maintenance program.
Morning program at Dandenong
Psychiatric Hospital Coffee, Cake & chat small group program 2- 4pm.

WEDNESDAY
Drop in lunch, corrections program, free legal service 9am – 1pm.
Avocare cooking program & Driver awareness program.

THURSDAY
Avocare cooking & Driver aware-ness program.

FRIDAY
Drop in lunch, corrections program 9am- 1pm.

SATURDAY
Drop in : 7 — 10pm

SUNDAY programs twice a month as advertised locally 1-4pm.
Welfare referrals to other agences and Afghan information services operates out of cornerstone.

Cornerstone: Pastor Max Walker CEO.
Postal Address:	PO Box 358 Dandenong Vic 3175
Address:	Church of Christ building cnr Mason and Walker Sts Dandenong Vic 3175.
General Enquiries:	(03) 9794 5654
Fax:	(03) 9794 5949
Free Legal Service:	(03) 9794 8428
Email:	ALLMAX@bigpond.com